"At least a dozen Kenmore East High School girls
varsity basketball players have been suspended and
face other sanctions for using a racial slur as
part of their regular pregame locker room chant.
The practice apparently had been going on for
years.
Teammates would hold hands before their games, say
a prayer together, then yell "One, two, three [N-
word]!" before running out onto the court,
according to offended students.
The team's only African-American player this year,
sophomore Tyra Batts, said she was shocked when
she learned of the tradition before the team's
opening game against Sweet Home High School last
Friday.
"I said, 'You're not allowed to say that word
because I don't like that word,'" she recalled.
"They said, 'You know we're not racist, Tyra. It's
just a word, not a label.' I was outnumbered."" -
Buffalo News